cold weather

Hey there

Hello! How is everyone doing? Is it cold in your neck of the woods? Pittsburgh is pretty chilly right now..IMG_4867Brrr. I took that screen shot this morning and I was thinking about how cold my truck is going to be when I leave campus at 6 p.m. tonight… I’m going to bring gloves!

I don’t have many life updates because my life is pretty chill right now (in terms of exciting things..). I’m just chugging along through school work, and trying to enjoy what free time I do have. I managed to walk Lola at a local park the last two weekends. lolaShe loves the car. Sometimes Jimmy and I will go to the McDonalds drive-thru before we walk her, and she will try to “say hi” and sniff through the window to the people who give us our food and drinks LOL.

I have been making an effort to not wear hoodies and sweats every day this winter. So far, so good. IMG_4856I feel smart when I wear argyle sweaters 😉

IMG_4866Don’t worry, I wore the skirt when the high for the day was 40*, not 8*!!

skyThe sunrises and sunsets have been gorgeous lately. God is so good.

That’s pretty much all I have to say today. . .

Tomorrow I have to go to the dentist because I have a cracked metal filling.

The dentist is going to take it out and replace it with a new, white filling. Pray for me. I hate going to the dentist. I work myself up so much before I go that I’m almost in tears. I just try to remember that it’s only a short procedure. And I also send up a prayer of thanksgiving for the invention of novocaine!

How do you get through dental procedures?!

Eating seasonally + winter weight gain

What is eating seasonally? I would say that eating seasonally is eating what nature provides naturally each season and trying to buy locally. 

Buying locally grown fruits and vegetables is a great idea, but it’s even better if the foods are in season in your area. When you buy foods that are locally in season, your money typically goes directly to the farmer, you get rid of environmental damage (from shipping foods around the world), and you get to enjoy fresh non-processed fruits and vegetables.

Better yet, the food you buy will taste amazing because it is grown in season!

Here is a great website that you can go to and choose your state and the current month– it will tell you what vegetables are in season right now and local farmer’s markets that you can buy them at!

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My theory on winter weight gain

I have been thinking lately about how most people tend to gain weight in the winter and crave “comfort foods” that are starchy and have fats in them. I think it’s important that we listen to our bodies and honor our cravings in a proper way. I crave things like starchy soups, bread with peanut butter, eggs, and hearty meats in the winter.

My theory is that if I’m craving specific food groups like fats and carbohydrates in the winter, my body is probably telling me to eat these foods so that I can gain a few pounds of “padding” to protect me from the cold weather. 

As I have grown up the past few years I noticed that I have gained weight in the winter, but it is a welcome gain because I am able to play outside in the snow and not be shivering 24/7. Adding a little bit of extra body fat can be good-in my opinion.

When spring and summer come along, I am naturally more active because the weather is nice. I walk my dog more, I’m not sitting at a desk all day in school, and the weather is usually great for running + I have more daylight. As spring turns into summer, I notice that I naturally “shed” the winter weight (about 5 – 7 pounds) that protected me from extreme cold just a few months ago.

I guess I’m not getting at a specific point, I’m just sharing my thoughts 🙂

What do you think? Do you eat seasonally and/or do you gain weight in the winter?